YouTube TrueView Updates: What Video Marketers Need to Know

On April 15, Google will finally roll out updates to its YouTube TrueView video advertising platform. After that date the “in-search” option will be eliminated, and advertisers will have two options to choose from: “in-stream” and “in-display.”

The updates will not affect current campaigns until May 15, but all new campaigns set to begin on or after April 15 will fall under the new platform. However, Google will allow users to manually update their settings if they wish to update in-process campaigns before May.

The changes will allow YouTube TrueView advertisers to:

Organize their TrueView around how users interact with their ads (pre-roll or thumbnail click).

Tailor ads to different audiences, demographics, and keyword targets (settings available at the campaign level).

Users can utilize the same in-display format across all YouTube network options, but they will have much more control over where the ads are shown. Rather than using the format of the ad to determine placement, YouTube TrueView customers can select their own networks for each campaign. These changes will not affect budgets or bids, and advertisers will still have access to their old campaign data.

In-Display vs. In-Stream

What does the switch to in-display and in-stream mean?

In-display. These will be the thumbnail ads. They will be shown either in the “suggested videos” list that appears on the right side of the page, or directly in search results. In-display ads will be charged to advertisers on a cost-per-view basis.

In-stream. These are the pre-roll ads that are shown before videos on YouTube. With in-stream ads, users can click out of the ad after several seconds. Customers will only be charged if the viewer chooses to watch the ad to the end, or through 30 seconds, whichever comes first.

YouTube TrueView Will Be Included in Google Analytics

As part of their efforts to make YouTube TrueView more user-friendly, Google also announced it will be introducing a “Video Campaigns” report in Analytics that will support TrueView. Advertisers will be able to see data surrounding clicks, views, and conversions. They are also rolling out a Google Display Network Impression Report that will help marketers get insight into conversions that may have stemmed from unclicked impressions and views.

This is extremely welcome news for video marketers who are constantly struggling to prove ROI to key stakeholders. It also shows that Google understands how important video marketing is to website traffic, and gives advertisers far more control over who will see their ads.

What do you think about the updates to YouTube TrueView for video advertisers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!